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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. staff — employees
  3. cold — not warm
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. ground — a position
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. row — a line
  9. sharp — clever
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cold — an illness
  13. staff — a stick
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. firm — decided
  16. row — to paddle
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. staff — employees
  19. firm — a company
  20. mark — a grade
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. ground — crushed
  23. firm — steady
  24. straw — dry grass

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com